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Mild quake rocks Delhi

A mild tremor, measuring 3.8 on the Richter Scale shook Delhi, forcing residents of highrise buildings to rush out on Saturday morning.

The quake struck at 0840 hours IST, accorindg to Dr A K Shukla, director of the Indian Meteorological Department in Delhi.

The quake's epicentre was near Sonepat.

There were no reports of major damage from any part of Delhi.

Shukla said any tremor measuring 3.8 was minor and was unlikely to cause major damage.

However, he did not rule out some minor aftershocks.

The tremor, which lasted a few seconds, comes three months after the Gujarat earthquake, which claimed thousands of lives.

Agencies add: "There is only a remote possibility of any major damage. Some cracks may have developed in some buildings near the Epicentre," a Seismological Department official told PTI.

"Windows and cupboards of my house rattled and people jumped out of their beds and ran," said Kamala, a domestic help from Trilokpuri in East Delhi.

According to Seismological Department officials, Delhi is in an earthquake-prone zone.

''We did not receive any emergency rescue calls following the tremor,'' Delhi fire service personnel told UNI.

The last major earthquake in the capital in 1960, measuring 6 on the Richter Scale, was also located in the same region.

''I felt the earth sway beneath my feet just as I was getting up in the morning. And the first thought that came into my mind was the Gujarat earthquake. My husband and I ran down the two flights of stairs,'' said a school teacher living in a multi-storeyed apartment at Pashchim Vihar in northwest Delhi.

''It felt like an underground blast. The windows in our office rattled and the chairs shook,'' said a journalist working at central Connaught Place.

You may also want to read
The Complete Coverage: The Gujarat Earthquake

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